More Changes

[supercentex]

Belton vs. Bryan moved to Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Temple vs. Consol CANCELLED...no word on when it will be played.

Jarrell is moved to tonight...not sure of time 7:30 p.m. I think.

Couple more changes still may be made today.

[adcwalker]

Updated Thursday, September 22, 2005

Tigers set for early 13-5A start

Coach laments losing a day of preparation

By LARRY BOWEN

Eagle Staff Writer

The A&M Consolidated football team will start what the Tigers hope is a march to the state playoffs one day ahead of schedule, playing host to Temple on Thursday night.

Consolidated's District 13-5A opener was scheduled for Friday, but was rescheduled because of Hurricane Rita. The game will start at 7 p.m. at Tigerland Stadium.

"We needed to play on Thursday so we don't have to worry about or compete with the weather on Friday and Saturday," Consolidated coach Jim Slaughter said. "Moving it up to Thursday means making a one-time adjustment. If we had been postponed until Monday, it could have taken a couple of weeks to get caught up.

"I'm a big preparation man, so it bothers me a little bit. But it's the same for Temple. It all depends on how you handle it. I'm hoping we won't let it bother us."

First-year Temple coach Bryce Monsen said officials made the right decision to play the game Thursday.

"You've got to think safety first for your kiddos what's best for them and their parents and fans," Monsen said.

Moving the game up adds uncertainty to a matchup that appears to greatly favor Consolidated. The Tigers (2-1) are coming off a 37-7 victory over Georgetown, a team that beat Temple. The Wildcats (0-3) are coming off a 28-7 loss to Class 4A Pflugerville Connally.

"Their record is not reflective of the way they've been playing," Slaughter said. "I think they're a good football team, but having a new coach is having an effect on them.

"Have they jelled? No, because they've got a new coach. I don't want them to jell against us."

Consolidated bounced back from a lopsided loss to Austin Westlake by beating Georgetown last week. The Tigers were porous on pass defense in their first two games, but they held Georgetown to 114 yards through the air and intercepted three passes.

"We definitely feel better about ourselves, but we're a long ways from having proved how good a ballclub we are," Slaughter said.

The start of district play offers hope to both teams. The Tigers are determined to return to the postseason after having their three-year playoff streak stopped last season. The Wildcats have a chance to make their 0-3 start meaningless.

"What's great about it is that the situation of trying to make the playoffs this is where it starts," Monsen said. "Everybody's equal."

Staying near the front of the pack is a big boost in the race for the playoffs, according to Slaughter.

"Who wants to be 0-1 after the first week of district?" Slaughter said. "That would be tough.

"Two years ago we lost that first district game and made the playoffs, but it was tough. It's a big game for both teams."

Temple finished next-to-last in district last season, finishing with an overall record of 2-8. Tam Hollingshead left after two seasons with the Wildcats to take a job at Rockwall Heath.

Monsen is a former Temple assistant coach who worked under Bob McQueen and David Beal. Monsen spent the last two seasons as head coach at Class 4A Lockhart, going 8-13 and taking Lockhart to its third playoff berth in 33 years last season.

The Wildcats have dropped Hollingshead's running offense for a spread passing game, often using four receivers and one back. However, Temple has struggled to throw the ball, with quarterback Terrell Jackson passing for only 196 yards.

"Their quarterback has got a very strong arm," Slaughter said. "We've seen him throw it 60-65 yards downfield, and that scares me because I've already been stung by the Austin Westlake quarterback."

Temple's defense has allowed 615 yards rushing. Senior Ross Pospisil, who was the Wildcats' leading rusher last season, has moved to middle linebacker and has only one carry this year.

• Larry Bowen's e-mail address is larry.bowen@theeagle.com.

[adcwalker]

Storm’s Brewing: Wildcats start 13-5A at stout Consolidated

COLLEGE STATION — Temple has ridden out the storm that has come in the form of an 0-3 start to its 2005 football season.
Now, with Hurricane Rita looming menacingly off the Gulf Coast, the Wildcats are bracing for the power-packed threat that is District 13-5A competition — and they’ll begin to take it on one day earlier than expected.
Temple will battle College Station A&M Consolidated (2-1) at 7 p.m. today at Tigerland Stadium in both teams’ 13-5A opener, a game that was originally scheduled for 7:30 Friday night but was moved up on Wednesday — in a joint decision of the two school districts — to get it played well in advance of Rita’s projected arrival.
“It’s a bad time, and you’ve got to think safety first for your kids and what’s best for them and parents and fans,” Temple first-year coach Bryce Monsen said. “It’s definitely the right decision. It’s a no-brainer.”
Said veteran Consolidated coach Jim Slaughter: “I’ve been through this before in Corpus Christi, and if you got a game canceled you had to make it up on a Monday or Tuesday. It makes so much more sense to move it up to Thursday.”
The result is that Temple’s young, still-maturing team has had one less day to prepare for a strong Consol squad that could challenge for a district championship. But Monsen doesn’t think his club’s makeshift schedule will have much of an impact.
“It’s the same for them — we’re in the same boat,” he said. “You just speed things up one day and take care of your business. There’s no advantage for anybody.”
Although getting a victory on the Tigers’ field certainly won’t be easy, the Wildcats are taking the optimistic view that they’re tied for first place in 13-5A and that they can prevail if they play their game and play it well.
“No matter what has happened with any football team, now it’s district play,” Monsen said. “Obviously we’re looking to go down there and play well, and I know they (Consol) are. What’s so great about it is that the situation of trying to make the playoffs . . . this is where it starts. Now we’ve got three games under our belt and we’re starting district, so we’re excited.”
Temple did enough good things in last week’s 28-7 loss at Pflugerville Connally — it trailed 14-7 midway through the fourth quarter — that it carries confidence into its first game of the grueling league season.
But if the Wildcats are to have an opportunity to win tonight and beyond, they must improve in many areas: establish a passing game, avoiding turnovers and controlling the ball within the multiple spread offense; limiting big plays and third down conversions on defense; and getting off to better starts, as they have been outscored 50-0 in first half action up to this point.
"To be successful, we've got to play good, solid football with no turnovers, be great in the kicking game, and be very good on third downs," Monsen said. "On offense we have to make first downs and keep the clock running. That at least will give us a chance to win.
"It would be nice to score quickly. In the first quarter we need to establish ourselves as a good team. It's a matter of confidence, and we've been preaching that this week. You can see our kids confidence growing."
That confidence is sure to be tested by Consolidated, which last Friday recorded a 37-37 victory against a Georgetown team that won 24-20 at Temple. A year ago, the Tigers - who would go to surprisingly miss the playoffs - rushed for 265 yards as they prevailed 24-10 at Wildcat Stadium.
Consol's multiple Wing-T offense still runs plenty, as evidence of its 589 ground yards, of which speedy back Daniel Palmer has 368.
But the Tigers are throwing the ball more this season, with Chris Jones having gone 21-of-36 passing for 276 yards to emerge as the quarterback. Detron Lewis, with 15 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns, is top receiving weapon.
"After, (36-15 loss to Austin) Westlake we were not very pleased, so we made some changes and found a trigger -puller"," Slaughter said. "We're closer to being balanced now."
Said Monsen of Consol's offense: "They run the speed sweep very well, and palmer can flat out fly. Someone has to force it in. If they get to the edge, that's not good."
Despite having allowed 350 yards per game, the Tigers multiple 4-3 defense is talented and features big tackle Appolos Daily and Brant Scott, linebackers Ryan Fitzgerald and Cody Smith and cornerback Leroy Thompson, who made three interceptions last week.
It's a defense that Temple junior quarterback Terrell Jackson - who has shined at times on the run and struggled at others with the pass - must try to crack.
He'll have help from back/reciever Davion Wright, who's run for 4 of the 5 Wildcats' touchdowns, and possibly senior powerbacks Rashad Jackson and Ross Pospisil, who have been used sparingly on offense.
Getting its first win tonight figures to be a tough task for Temple, but Monsen isn't putting it past the Wildcats.
Our whole focus has been on Consolidated, and you'd like to go down there and have a great game," he said. "Our urgency has always been high. The coaches have that sense of urgency to give our kids every opportunity to be successful."
Said Slaughter of Temple: "I know they'll get it going. I just hope they don't get it this week against us." by Greg Wille

[supercentex]

Temple at Consol, MONDAY, 7 p.m.

Belton at Temple has been moved to Saturday, time TBA.

[Favpack]

These folks are kidding themselves if they think they're playing Saturday - unless this thing makes a bee-line northeast - Houston could get 2 feet of rain and this storm is 300 hundred miles wide.

[supercentex]

The latest shows Rita will be moving over East Texas.......that is a good ways away from Temple and Belton....all they will get is rain...and they are less than 5 minutes away from each other............so there is really no traveling involved.